Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto who this week admitted to having smoked crack cocaine, has become embroiled in a fresh controversy after the publication of a video which shows him shouting abuse and making threats.

Ford apologised to the people of Toronto on Tuesday after making his extraordinary crack cocaine admission, but has refused to bow to mounting pressure from federal and council officials to step down and get help for his problems.

At one point, Ford says: "My brothers are ... don't tell me we're liars, thieves, birds," suggesting that he is angry with someone who has spoken out about his family. His brother, Doug, is a city councillor.

Ford's chief of staff, Earl Provost, said he could not comment on the video. "I'm sorry. I cannot talk about this," Provost told the Star.

The mayor told reporters shortly after the video was published that he was "extremely, extremely inebriated" in it and "embarrassed" by it. Ford said he had made mistakes. "All I can do is reassure the people. I don't know what to say," he said.

Last week, Toronto police announced that investigators had recovered two video clips relevant to extortion charges laid against the mayor's associate Alexander “Sandro” Lisi. One of those videos shows the mayor smoking what appears to be crack.

The Star, which disclosed it had paid for the video, said there was no suggestion that this was the second one referred to by police last week.